International Women’s Day, on 8 March, is a global opportunity to celebrate the extensive achievements of women across the globe. It began in 1911 with over a million people joining to celebrate the cause and has grown ever since.  

This year’s campaign theme for 2024 is ‘Inspire Inclusion’ with the aim to inspire not only others in their understanding of the value of women’s inclusion but also women themselves to be included and develop a sense of belonging, empowerment, and relevance.   

In the realm of therapy, women have been making significant strides, challenging stereotypes, and reshaping the landscape of the profession. From pioneering research to hands-on clinical care, women are playing a vital role in advancing the field and ensuring access to quality assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation services for all. Not only this but an increased focus on female-specific conditions and rehabilitation has grown in both popularity and understanding over recent years and continues to do so with increasing momentum.

At Therapy Expo 2023, we invited Jinty Sheerin and Lou Hockings-Thompson from WomanKind Collective along to present a mainstage session on gender bias in the healthcare system. They discussed the wider impact of its consequences through looking at data and tackled issues such as exploring our own biases and judgements of clients.  

During an interactive part of the session, several of their podcast listeners were encouraged to share their lived experiences of the gender bias in healthcare. Listening to such personal and often saddening anecdotes from live audience members was a thought-provoking opportunity to reflect on the lasting implications such institutionalised biases can have on individuals.  

Jinty and Lou are two lifelong friends who host a weekly WomenKind Collective Podcast. They discuss topics surrounded by stigma and shame; their mission being to bring these subjects into the light in an engaging and informative way. Working with Menopause specialists, GPs, Gynaecologists, Nutritionists, Sleep therapists, Cancer survivors, advocates and campaigners, WomenKind Collective provides up-to-date information and resources for everyone to access.  

Check out their YouTube channel to access more content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFgmHLcdx28eco-XlkWYwUA  

Why not use this International Women’s Day as an opportunity to reflect on the biases that surround you, whether that’s in your clinic, a client’s house, an academic environment, or even just in your day-to-day life, and focus on how we might work towards reducing these.